


Kitty Kisses and Secrets

by wolfdancer333



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I Ship It, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-19 12:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14237409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfdancer333/pseuds/wolfdancer333
Summary: Will kisses from her Cat show Marinette how he feels? And what about her secret? Does the boy behind the mask love the girl behind hers?





	Kitty Kisses and Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Miraculous fanfiction but I adore the Adrien/Marinette and Cat Noir/Ladybug pairing. They are so sweet and adorable and this was prompted from my love of this show. I hope you enjoy it! :)

“Adriekins!!”

Adrien flinched at Chloe’s loud greeting but turned to greet his oldest friend with a small smile anyway. She was standing in the entrance of their classroom door, arms folded. As usual and per Chloe’s style, she was dressed in only designer clothing and the most expensive at that – Adrien had to give an inward eye-roll when he realized that most of it was the female style of brands he had modelled before. She was wearing a form fitting white under-shirt and had thrown on a pink jacket with diamond buttons that screamed money.

The sleeves ended at her elbows with a small collar that Chloe had tilted up to show off the designer name. Her many bracelets clanged and jingled when she lifted a hand to toss back her long, blonde ponytail over her shoulder, lips stretched in a confident smile. Sabrina, the poor red-haired girl, was standing awkwardly behind Chloe, trying to both please her and enter the classroom that she was blocking. 

If he had thought Chloe was going to be any different today than the other multitude of days where she was not his favourite person, he was sorely mistaken. Chloe, disgruntled by no greeting from him, huffed and walked – because a rich lady never ran – towards him in her pink heels, draping her arms over his shoulders. She leaned up, smile widening.

“I said hi, Adrienkins. I know you were just staring at my beauty and enraptured by me but you could at least say hello!” 

He was saved from answering her when a tough, familiar voice cut through the air of the classroom. “Oh come on! I did not wake up this early to see you trying to put the moves on Adrien, Chloe.”

Adrien grinned at Alya as he leaned his head over to greet her. “Hi, Alya.”

She waved in greeting, Nino, his best friend, standing behind her and giving him a sympathetic look before gesturing with his eyes at the girl standing next to Alya. Adrien’s eyes fell on Marinette and he smiled fondly at the blush dusting her pale cheeks, her teeth biting into her lip. She had her hands clutching the small purse she carried around in front of her, her head ducked but he could just make out a pair of blue eyes staring at him from beneath black-blue bangs. 

When her eyes caught his, she made a high-pitched keening noise before turning to stumble awkwardly to her seat. Adrien chuckled behind a fist but yelped when his white button up shirt that he never really buttoned was grabbed and he was jerked upwards with wide eyes to face a very not happy Chloe. She was glaring heatedly into his eyes, her light blue eyes seeming like a roiling ocean at the way she was staring at him. He shot Nino a glare when he heard his best friend laugh but Chloe gave him a hard shake, making his eyes drop back to her.

“Adrien Agreste, if you don’t say hi to me right now I will never talk to you again!”

“Oh, what a shame that would be.” Alya’s voice snipped and if Chloe wasn’t glaring at him, Adrien would have laughed. 

As it was, he smiled, holding his hands up in surrender before he told her gently. “I’m sorry, Chlo. Good morning.”

Chloe narrowed her eyes for a single second at Alya who had her arms still crossed, eyes staring hard at Chloe through her glasses. But the honey blonde brightened when she turned back to him, sidling up to him and sighing, her eyes closing. “It’s like we’re meant to be.”

Adrien blinked, not quite sure how she had come to that and secondly knowing his heart was dead set on a girl in spots, and pulled away from her, heading to the front row desk to take his seat. Once he was sitting, he gave Chloe a wave and she yelled back to Sabrina, “Come ON, what are you doing back there? Get over here and sit down!”

He watched Chloe’s best friend – she would never admit to it but he knew her well enough to know it was true – dash towards her seat, bouncing at even the slightest acknowledgement from Chloe and Adrien wished he knew what had happened to the girl he remembered when they were kids. The girl who used to share all her toys with him and the one he had shared a bed with sometimes when he was feeling lonely during their many slumber parties. He watched her a moment before he turned to Nino, giving him a brighter smile. 

The two shared a fist bump before Nino glanced behind at Marinette and Alya, whom Adrien could hear were whispering behind him. Nino fiddled with his black-rimmed glasses and adjusted his red cap over his short, dark brown hair before he took a deep breath, winking at Adrien as he whispered, “Watch this dude, I’ll show you how it’s done!”

He turned in his seat, his orange headphones jostling against his neck as he coughed to bring both Alya and Marinette’s attention to him. “So, Alya –“

Before he could even finish, Alya leaned over and shoved his cap down over his eyes, causing Nino to yelp. Adrien tried not to laugh as Nino’s girlfriend stared down at him from the wooden desk she shared with Marinette. She seemed to radiate an amused annoyance at his antics as she declared, “Can you not see I’m talking to my best friend? You can wait, dork.”

Nino finally got his cap off his eyes and blinked up at her, his mouth hanging open. “But….I didn’t even get to ask you, girl!”

Letting out a very long, exasperated sigh that had both Marinette and Adrien chuckling at the couple’s banter, Alya told him in a voice that spoke of her annoyance – yet her wide smile gave her away. “No, Nino, I am not going to the movies with you tonight. I promised my Mom I would babysit the twins. And no, that tan you wanted does not work on me, boy, and did you forget you were born with a naturally brown tan?”

From somewhere up above, Adrien heard Juleka whisper, “Burn. Solid burn.”

Nino deflated, slightly, a small blush dusting his cheeks but Adrien shook his head at the determined fire in his friend’s golden eyes. “I can come over and help! Your mom likes me! And what’s wrong with my tan?”

Alya blinked at him and then nodded, smiling. “You know what, yeah, actually, that would work. And Nino?”

He was grinning, leaning up to reach her. Alya leaned down and Adrien caught Marinette ducking her head with a small blush but before either of them could react, Alya had lifted one of her folded arms to shove a finger against his nose, pushing him back into his seat. “My mom said no kissing.”

Adrien fist bumped him again when Nino shouted, pumping a fist in the air, and flopping back into his seat. He winked at Adrien and grinned. “That’s how you do it, bro!”

His blonde hair ruffled against his ears as he shook his head before whispering, “You do realize she said no kissing, right?”

Nino nodded, still wearing the dopey smile, and saying loud enough that the girls behind them would hear. “Yeah, but any second spent with her is worth it, kiss or not.”

And both boys shared matching chuckles when they heard Alya whisper loudly to Marinette, “And that’s why I’m dating him honestly. He can be such a sap.”

All conversation ceased the moment their chemistry teacher, Ms Mendeleiev, walked in with her purple hair and long, white lab coat billowing behind her. Her purple collared shirt with the scientific scribbles was missing and instead, probably due to the summer heat, was only wearing a thin white t-shirt beneath the lab coat. The sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and her usual black-framed glasses were missing and replaced by a smaller version. Her red heels clicked as she walked to stand behind her desk, eyeing them all with narrowed, ice blue eyes. 

Finally, her gaze settled somewhere in the back before she shouted, “Kim! Ivan! If I see you two pass one more note, I’m sending you to Principal Damocles immediately!”

There was some shuffling and a muffled apology on Ivan’s part before Ms Mendeleiev straightened, giving them all a warning glare, before turning to face the chalkboard. She picked up a loose piece of chalk and began to write her lesson the board. Unlike the others who groaned and hesitated, trying to find something else to do, besides Chloe who was picking at her nails without a care in the world, Adrien liked school. He liked the lessons, the people, his friends. He loved being able to get out of his suffocating life at home.

He pulled out the Physics and Chemistry book from his bag along with a notebook with the word SCIENCE wrote out over the front in his handwriting to prepare to study when the pen in his notebook’s wires slid out and to the floor. It dropped and he bent down to grab it at the same time a smaller, pale hand reached for it. The two fingers collided, sending sparks through his body, his heart racing as his head snapped up to meet Marinette’s deep blue pools. Her eyes were wide and he watched, rather comically, as a dark blush spread from her dimpled cheeks to her ears and down her neck. She squeaked and shoved the pencil at him, mumbling something along the lines of, “Adrien, pencil, here dropped you did.”

He snorted out a laugh and mouthed a thank you, causing the girl to lift up her book – upside down which made him grin at the way he always managed to fluster her – to hide from him. He turned just in time to catch Ms Mendeleiev’s eye. She stared at him before pointing at the board.  
“Care to come up and write out the answer to this problem, Agreste?”

He shrugged, ignoring Nino’s choking sounds as Nino thought he was going to die up there, and headed up to the board. He looked at the problem and smirked. He had this problem in the bag. His tutors had been extensive in his lessons and though he knew most of the answers, he never liked to flaunt it, so he stood up and pretended to think a moment. He knew Nino found out his bluff by the snort he heard followed by Ms Mendeleiev’s sharp retort. 

“If I hear that noise again, Mr Lahiffe, you’ll be the one demonstrating our next project today.” Her voice was stern and left no room for argument.

He heard Nino sputter, “Wha- But I didn’t do anything!”

When Ms Mendeleiev’s voice hollered to Rose in the back, he turned to Nino annd grinned, giving him a thumbs up, before turning back to the board. He picked up the chalk, dry and powdery, leaving a dusty residue on his fingers, and wrote out the response so quick that by the time Ms Mendeleiev turned back around, he had just set the chalk back down and faced the classroom. Her eyes narrowed at him before she looked at the board, eyes roaming over the board but when her gaze fell back on him, she was smiling. 

“Well, great job, Adrien. Seems someone pays attention in my class.” She pointedly looked at Nino who once again sputtered out something incoherent. 

This, apparently, was enough for Ms Mendeleiev who pointed a finger at him, eyes narrowed on him. “Project! Your job to demonstrate, Mr Lahiffe.”

Nino looked wide-eyed at his fellow classmates and friends but everyone turned away, all except Adrien who gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder as he returned to his seat. He watched his best friend slouch and walk forward, his hands in his pockets, eyes downcast. He listened when he heard Alya whisper to Marinette, her voice soft, “I feel bad for my boy but what can I say? He’s a hopeless idiot.”

He heard Marinette’s quiet giggles and for some reason, the sound of her laughter brought a small smile to his face. She whispered back, “But you love him anyway.”

“But I love him anyway.”

Deciding that eavesdropping was not the gentlemanly thing to do, he turned to watch Nino as Ms Mendeleiev set up the chemistry station. Two vials of odd liquid swished in two separate beakers: one was a light, neon green that had Adrien frowning in disgust and the other a beautiful pink. There was an empty beaker in the middle with two smaller, round containers filled with what looked like glitter dust. He blinked, having missed the lecture due to hearing Alya and Marinette’s private conversation. And that morning when Adrien woke up, if anyone had told him that he would experience a chemistry explosion by his best friend, he would have laughed and waved it off. After all, Nino was bad at chemistry but Adrien hadn’t known exactly HOW bad he was.

Until today. 

He watched like the frames of a movie slowly being flashed before his eyes. Adrien watched Nino pour the green mixture into the beaker before his eyes flashed to Ms Mendeleiev who was rounding her desk to glare down at Chloe and Sabrina – who he saw, with a wince, were looking through his magazines. As it was, no one watched Nino hesitantly, unsure, grab one of the glitter dust particles and begin to dump it into the green chemical. Adrien’s eyes, in slow motion, flicked back to Nino just in time to see the fatal mistake. 

Eyes wide, he acted purely on instinct. 

“Get down!” 

Ms Mendeleiev took only a second to shout warnings, going behind a desk herself to huddle with Chloe and Sabrina, the other students all flying behind their desks. Adrien, thankful for his cat-like reflexes thanks to being Cat Noir, dived for Nino and barely had time to shove his best friend down to the floor. He thought he heard someone shout his name, their voice filled with worry and fear, but he couldn’t tell the owner because a moment later, the mixture started bubbling before it erupted with a bang.

The desk the beakers had been on splintered and cracked from the force, a small shock-wave echoing through the room. Multiple cries and voices began to shout at once and Adrien, coughing into his shirt, shouted out as loud and as firmly as he could, “Cover your mouths! Find the exit!”

Ms Mendeleiev must have come for them because she hurried over to him and Nino, who was rubbing his head where Adrien had shoved him to the ground. He looked up with golden eyes and the two best friends shared a look. Adrien stood, gesturing at Ms Mendeleiev and saying, “Get everyone else out, I’ve got Nino.”

Their teacher eyed them before she darted off, barking orders at her kids and leading them out of the room. Adrien reached out an arm and helped Nino from the ground, both boys beginning to cough from the black smoke filling the room. He heard their classmates hurrying out the classroom door and with his arm wrapped around his friend, he carried him toward the safety of the door. When he heard the sucking-whistling noise, his eyes went wide and without a second thought, he shoved Nino toward where he could make out the voices of their classmates.

He only had enough time to hear Marinette’s frightened cry of, “Where’s Adrien!?” before he rushed to a window in the class, coughing as he hesitated. As soon as he let in the air, that mixture was going to explode. He had seconds to transform into Cat Noir, climb away from the window, and then meet his class outside somehow without any of them being suspicious. He took a deep breath of black smoke and threw open the window. Instantly and without warning, Plagg shot out toward him from his bag by the floor, the black cat-like creature latching onto the collar of his shirt. 

“Plagg, Claws Out!”

He only had seconds in reality but when he transformed, it always felt like time stopped. A part of him always felt elated, euphoric, to leave Adrien Agreste behind. But a deeper part always hated his superhero alter ego. Cat Noir was everything he wanted to be. He didn’t have to worry about anything – besides akuma! - when he was Cat but when he was Adrien, the worries seemed endless. But the thing he hated most was the freedom Cat had that Adrien felt he would never possess. 

As Plagg disappeared into the silver ring, turning it black, Adrien grinned as he shoved two fingers across the bridge of his face. A black mask shimmered into existence and he felt his eyes contract, his vision adjusting to the sudden enhancement that came with being a, well, cat. He felt the glow come into his eyes and he shuddered at the feel of his eyes changing to a green glow like a shot of ice being shot into his eyes. It was a weird feeling. 

He ran a hand over his hair, feeling his ears materialize atop his head. They twitched to life and suddenly his hearing extended to a point he could hear his class – and some of the other classes – being escorted out to the front through the halls. When he threw his arms out wide, he closed his eyes and let the feel of the transformation take over. It was an odd sensation and hard to describe. Plagg’s energy was dark, coursing like electricity through his blood. He felt the cool spandex of his black outfit take form around him, moulding to him like clay. The weirdest sensation was growing a tail that was functional – it actually hurt to be grabbed and pulled – and removable. 

It was tight, fitting, and he could feel the magick in it, surrounding and enveloping him. He let his eyes stay closed a moment longer, enjoying the feel of power and freedom, before his eyes snapped open. His once light, emerald coloured eyes were now a glowing green. And little slits. He jumped from the window, grabbing onto the stone and using his newly formed claws to scale the building, the power in his body rippling through him like water. 

Just as he scaled the top and perched onto the slate blue roof, the explosion from the classroom shook the building – and the ground if the cries of the students and teachers outside were anything to go by. Adrien, now Cat Noir, perched a moment longer before quietly and discreetly darting on all fours – he was more comfortable as a cat anyway – towards the courtyard. If he dropped down, he could quickly transform back into Adrien and stumble his way out the exit, like he had just made it out. He grinned wide, a plan in motion, and jumped down towards the light green canopy above the walkways on the second floor. 

His eyes scanned the floor below, black smoke filling the courtyard, before he deemed it safe. His ears twitched and he flicked his tail as he used his silver baton to land gracefully inside the courtyard by setting it upright and sliding down it. As soon as his paws hit the ground, he darted forward, towards the entrance doors he knew led outside. Cat stood on his feet, feeling a bit dizzy at all the smoke surrounding him, and held his ring up to his chest, whispering, “Claws In.”

Feeling the power leave him was like feeling your blood leave your body. It was trickle of pain and freedom, Adrien Agreste’s shackles curling around him. As the last of his transformation faded, Adrien caught the exhausted Plagg in his cupped hands and rolled his eyes at the dramatics. Plagg’s green eyes were closed, his mouth hanging open and panting, his one paw reached toward Adrien shakily as he whispered, “Need…..More…..Cheese…...”

Adrien opened his white button up jacket and laid Plagg gently inside a hidden pocket, vowing to give his little kwami extra cheese before he pushed through the courtyard’s entrance doors. He found himself in the small hallway with the two large wooden doors with gray handles that led outside. He could hear the chatter of the students but was even more surprised to hear the voices of his classmates and friends. He paused a moment. He could make out Juleka’s quiet alto comforting a very distraught, crying Rose. 

He could barely make out Ivan saying something and a small voice he recognized as Mylene responding. He could hear Kim panicking about whether he should go in and see if Adrien was alive or not, which prompted Ms Mendeleiev to shush him when Rose cried harder at this revelation. He snorted at their faith in his ability to survive but then hastily remembered no one knew he was Cat Noir. He heard, with a wince, Chloe’s very distraught voice crying hysterically and, with a sliver of annoyance, theatrically. Vaguely, he heard Sabrina trying to comfort her followed by Nathaniel’s low tenor speaking quickly with Alix. He could hear Max calling for him from what seemed like farther away than the others.

But probably the ones that warmed him the most and made him smile goofily from his spot was the shouting of his best friends. Nino’s voice was hysterically loud as he shouted for Adrien, refusing to be shushed by Mr Damocles. Alya was shouting his name too but she wasn’t as hysterical as his best friend, calmly calling out for him. The voice that made him feel the worst was Marinette. She had been screaming for him a long time by the hoarseness in her voice and, judging by the way her voice broke and cracked, she was crying.

And an odd feeling welled up in him. One that demanded he stop her tears and with this single instinct guiding him – cats did what they wanted, leave him alone! - he crashed through the entrance doors of Francois Dupont High School, causing several students to scream, a teacher to faint, and his worried friends to all stare at him in wide-eyed awe that he was, dizzily, standing in front of them. Alive. 

This fact must have cemented what happened next because Adrien, being home-schooled most of his life and having not had much social interaction, did not expect that his entire group of friends could hug him at once. This was proved false when a cacophony of voices shouted his name, causing him to wince and stumble back as they charged him, not a single part of him not being hugged by someone. He chuckled and tried to tell them he was fine but his voice cracked on the last word, “Guys, I’m fine, I swear!”

They parted like the red sea so he could get a glimpse of all of their faces and the superhero in him roved over them for injuries quickly. He was relieved to see everything was superficial and they all seemed perfectly okay! He heard Chloe’s wailing cries and he took a second to brace himself just as her arms threw themselves around his neck. By her trembling, he could tell she was honestly shaken and his eyes softened as he raised a hand to her upper back in comfort. She held him a moment tighter before shoving him back with a snarl – and Adrien winced at the shimmering tears in her eyes – before she spun on her heels and stomped towards a tall figure Adrien would recognize anywhere.

Before Chloe could even open her mouth – he knew from experience that what she was going to say was not going to be good – he darted forward towards Nino. As soon as the darker skinned male saw him, his eyes brightened and his slumped posture snapped upwards. And Adrien caught Alya’s red wavy curls from behind Nino, her arms wrapped around a trembling form, and he knew without a doubt that not only was Marinette crying but that he had the sudden, unexplainable desire to hug her.

He skidded to a stop, rubbing the back of his head, unsure of what he was supposed to do but Nino didn’t hesitate to pull Adrien into a tight hug. “Man, bro, you scared me! Glad you’re okay!”

Adrien smiled, feeling his cheeks flush at the attention, tentatively giving Nino a one-armed hug in return. When both boys pulled away, neither one would admit to their suspiciously shiny eyes until Nino turned and Adrien winced at the sight. Okay, Marinette was a good friend, like Alya and Nino, but she was also one of his best friends – not that he had ever been able to tell her that because he knew she would have been really embarrassed by this. But she was and he hated to see her so distraught, never even remembering a time she was truly this upset. 

Alya’s head was tucked atop the blackish-blue of Marinette’s, her arms holding up her best friend. Her glasses were poking out of her jeans pocket, her eyes closed as she tried to comfort the crying girl. Marinette had her head pressed into Alya’s chest, her hands over her eyes and face, but Adrien could see her shoulders shaking and the small drops that fell from her chin. She had dropped everything but the small, flowery purse she always carried, her book-bag and pink sketchbook on the ground. The sky was bright and sunny despite the black smoke billowing from the classroom and he could hear the sirens of the emergency department but he couldn’t take his eyes off of Marinette and Alya. He couldn’t erase the pain he had caused. 

Adrien’s shoulders tensed as he tried to think of a quick solution. Well, he needed to let them know he was okay, that was probably the first step. With this thought in mind he hesitantly stuck a foot forward and nearly fell backwards onto the stairs when both Alya and Marinette’s eyes snapped towards him. Adrien knew he was different from the other kids his age. Mostly, he struggled with anything to do with social interaction, being home-schooled most of his life until recently. Not to mention a father he never saw – and whom he doubted even cared about him except for the image he exuded – and a missing mother. 

He didn’t know how to process emotions like normal kids and all the tutoring, lessons, and extensive teachers he had had could never have really prepared him for the next few moments of his life. He swallowed through the thick lump in his throat and the biting warmth building behind his eyes. Alya had her hands hovering in front of her mouth but slowly, a wobbly smile was shaking to the surface. Her eyes kept flickering between him and Marinette, her hazel eyes quickly misting over. He watched her lean over and nudge Marinette with her right shoulder, to get her moving. 

Her feet stumbled over each other and without thinking, Adrien rushed forward, catching her by her elbows and keeping her from hitting the ground. He smiled fondly as he expected the usual stuttering response – which he found quite cute and honestly, she wouldn’t be Marinette without her shyness – and sentences that made no sense. That is not what happened. Her head slowly rose from staring at his orange sneakers, up his blue jeans, to the black of his shirt with the coloured lines, his white button up shirt, and finally landed her gaze into his. He gripped her elbows slightly tighter when he saw the real damage his disappearance had caused. 

Her eyes were red and puffy, tears still brimming in the corners. Her fists were very pale, almost cloud white, and the usually relaxed girl was so tense, Adrien thought if he moved wrong he would break her arms. Her deep blue eyes were drowning him in their sorrow, growing slightly more wide at seeing him standing before her, perfectly fine. Then, unexpectedly and not at all the stuttering girl he knew she usually was, she squeezed her eyes shut and lunged for his middle. She wrapped her arms around him tight, causing him to grunt at the force he did not, surprisingly, expect from her.

She was crying again, sobbing really, but he could feel the relief as her shoulders sagged and her body relaxed into him. He threw his hands up, looking up at Nino and Alya with wide eyes as he tried to figure out if he should hug her back or not. Alya, whom he was quickly realized probably had more guts than him and he was a superhero, rolled her eyes, marched over to him, grabbed his flung up hands, and shoved them over Marinette’s quaking shoulders. He smiled sheepishly, his cheeks turning a rosy pink, and he tried desperately to ignore Nino’s smothered laughs. 

Adrien winced when Alya’s fiery eyes turned to her laughing boyfriend, pointing a finger and stomping to him, her finger dabbing into his chest as she shouted, “And what are you laughing at? You’re the one who caused it!”

Nino waved his arms in front of him, wincing at every jab of Alya’s finger. “Wait, I mean, girl, I know what I did and I’m really sorrry, but it was an accident!”

Adrien chuckled and rolled his eyes, ignoring, for the moment, the chatter of his class behind him and instead turning his light green eyes back down to Marinette. Her crying had lessened and her shoulders were no longer shaking. He could vaguely feel Plagg inside his button shirt’s inner, hidden pocket squirming at the close proximity of Marinette. 

Taking a deep breath, Adrien tried the calm approach as he leaned down and spoke quietly, blinking quickly at the thought that Marinette’s hair smelled really good. “Uh, Marinette, I’m okay, really. It wasn’t hard to get out and I’m, well, I’m here now.”

He waited, his head bent, but Marinette didn’t move a muscle and he would have been afraid she wasn’t breathing if he didn’t feel the shaky breaths against his open shirt collar. He sighed but just as he began raising his head, his eye caught sight of something shiny and black. Her earrings. He froze before he shot up, blinking, his mind whirling at the pieces in his mind once hidden all suddenly coming to the front of his mind, slamming together with a force that made his head hurt. He looked down at the girl he was holding and exhaled slowly. 

He could have a mental breakdown later. Right now, he wanted to comfort his friends and avoid his father’s eye – because he was sure he knew about this by now and was probably waiting at home to ban him from ever leaving the house. Again. So with extreme hesitancy, he grabbed Marinette’s elbows gently and pried her away from him. She let him, her arms falling loosely to her side and Adrien smiled, his heart filling with warmth and overflowing with affection for her when he saw, from behind her black-blue bangs that her ears and cheeks were bright red.

She opened her mouth, closed it, and finally, slowly, peeked up at him from her bangs. He gave her a reassuring smile and chuckled when her eyes nearly bugged out of her head and her head snapped to look down at her feet again. Adrien grinned, happy she was back to her usual self. 

“Are you going to be okay?”

This was obviously not the right thing to say because a moment later her head shot up and she blinked at him quickly. “Me? You…..But, the explosion, and you want to know if okay I – No, I mean, if I’m okay?”

Adrien smiled and nodded, not even the slightest bit fazed by her confusing statement. “Yep! I’m good. But you were crying and I’m sorry for making you cry. And I wanted to know if you were, uh, okay.”

He shrugged, trying to play off the blush, and Marinette’s blush on her cheeks darkened as they both stared awkwardly away from one another. It didn’t last long before he felt someone put their arm around him and he glanced out the corner of his eye to see Nino’s smiling face. Adrien smiled back and both boys watched Alya smack her forehead and grab an unresponsively smiling Marinette, who was still staring at the ground, off with her towards the steps for some privacy. 

Adrien shrugged. “Did I say something wrong?”

Nino laughed and gestured to the girls where Alya was trying to get Marinette’s attention and failing. “Yeah, dude: you spoke! You know how Marinette gets around you, dude!”

When Nino nudged him with an elbow, Adrien rolled his eyes and shoved his friend with his shoulder. But he couldn’t help the feeling in his gut. Was Marinette……

 

“Papa, Mama! I’m home.”

Marinette trudged through the door of her family’s bakery, her head downcast, shoulders dropped. She was dragging her book-bag on the ground and sighed deeply to herself. Not only had she embarrassed herself in front of her friends but she couldn’t help but remember Adrien’s face when he had pulled back from hugging her – a thought that nearly made her flush red and scream. He looked like he had seen a ghost, pale, and looking at her as if she had just told him she loved him to his face. She winced and tried to still the hurtful beats of her heart at the thought of this morning’s events. 

It was bordering 12pm now and due to the classroom explosion, school had been let out permanently for the day. The morning had started out like any other. As she climbed up the steps to her room, the memories flowed dazedly through her mind. Seeing Chloe hanging off of Adrien like a monkey and the usual jealousy at seeing it but then Adrien’s eyes had met hers, briefly, and Marinette had felt her heart flutter into her throat. His eyes were gorgeous and his smile always made her stomach jump. 

But this time, there was something there, hidden in those eyes. A secret she had almost discovered. Shaking her head, Marinette threw open the hatch to her room and crawled inside, not even bothering to stand. She kicked the hatch closed and lay on her floor. She heard the telltale click of the purse on her side being opened and shuffling as her kwami, Tikki, struggled to fit outside. Giggling, Marinette rolled onto her back and opened the catch completely. Tikki popped her head out and shook, turning her bright expressive blue eyes toward Marinette. The little kwami, more than just her friend, flew to her chest and laid there, curling up and patting her shoulder. 

“It will be okay, Marinette, promise.”

Marinette smiled and lifted a finger to lazily stroke down her kwami’s head like she knew the little creature liked. Tikki made a delighted sound and the two sat in silence for a moment, Marinette’s eyes closing against her will as she mumbled, “He almost died today Tikki, and it wasn’t even an akuma. It was….Something normal. Simple. Not….” Marinette swallowed past the fear trying to eat at her. “It wasn’t something Ladybug could have stopped. For the first time since I became Ladybug, I really felt powerless. I was scared.”

Tikki lifted her head up, her eyes staring into Marinette’s half lidded, sleepy eyes with a deep knowing in them that evaporated the fear inside her to nothing. “I know. But it’s okay. He’s okay. We’re okay. Ladybug isn’t all who you are. You are also Marinette. They are both a part of you. And it’s okay to be scared; even superheroes get scared.”

Marinette let her eyes fall completely closed and felt Tikki crawl forward until her little friend was cuddled into the space between her shoulder and her neck. Marinette thought in her drowsy state of the events and mumbled without thinking, “I hugged him and I –“

She shot up, her eyes wide, and shouted, “AHHHHH!”

Tikki, frightened by the shout, darted upwards with a cry of surprise. She darted towards Marinette and hovered in front of the girl’s blushing face, her hands grasping at her hair. “Marinette, what’s wrong?”

Marinette’s gaze flashed to her and a large smile broke across her lips. “I hugged Adrien Agreste!”

Tikki sighed in relief before she looked up and giggled, floating in front of her Chosen with a content smile on her face, her little antenna twitching. “Oh, Marinette.”

She sometimes forgot how old Tikki was and how much she must have seen, so Marinette smiled sheepishly at her kwami. “Sorry. It’s just….He was so warm and he was alive. I was just so happy.”

Marinette grinned as Tikki darted to perch on her shoulder, the little red creature with black spots giggling again into her ear as she gathered her book-bag and headed to her desk. “I was worried too! I’m glad he’s okay. And I’m glad you’re okay too!”

Marinette closed her eyes and leaned her head against her kwami’s when she felt Tikki gently nuzzle into her neck. The relationship Marinette was building with Tikki was deep friendship, one where she knew no matter what happened, she would do anything for the little creature that had changed her whole life. When she had first became Ladybug, she hadn’t wanted it. But now she couldn’t see her life without saving Paris, spending many a night cuddling and talking with the little kwami who knew all her deepest secrets. If kwami’s could be best friends and Alya wasn’t already holding that position, then Marinette knew Tikki was her other best friend. 

Setting her book-bag down beneath her desk, Marinette flopped into her desk chair, folding her arms and letting her head fall against them as she stared at all the posters she had hanging behind her desk of Adrien Agreste feeling a gentle smile pulling at her lips. 

“I wish you were here….” She blurted out.

“Oh, well, you rang and the cat has come running. I am at your serrrrrr-vice.”

Marinette shouted out a scream, spinning her chair away from her desk. Her eyes shot up towards the figure reclining on her bed. She would recognize the cheesy pun, the purring rumble, and slit green eyes anywhere, with or without her mask. Cat Noir was staring down at her, lying on his stomach on her bed in the loft, confident smile in place and green, slit eyes boring into hers. She felt a feeling welling up inside her gut at the look he was giving her. He looked entirely too much like a cat who had all the cream. Marinette placed a hand over her racing heart and blinked up at him, willing herself not to give away her identity by throwing back a pun.

While she responded, she gazed around for Tikki, hoping the kwami had managed to hide well enough to not be sniffed out. “I, uh, didn’t call you. And what are you doing here? Is there an akuma….thing?”

Cat’s intense stare narrowed and Marinette felt all the air leave the room. He was still smiling but there was something in his eyes that froze her, froze time, and made her heart almost stop beating. Cat took in a deep breath, his ears twitching and Marinette blushed when she realized he was sniffing for a scent. She wasn’t sure why but the thought flustered her and caused her heart, previously on the verge of stopping, to beat erratically. She stood from her chair shakily to try and put some distance between them, maybe turn her back on those intense green eyes that had never stared at her, with or without her mask, like that. 

But he wasn’t having any of it. As soon as she stood, Cat rose to all fours and jumped to the floor, lithely rising at her feet to his full height. Her nose was almost touching his spandex clad chest and she could feel the heat radiating outward from his body. She flushed, feeling those eyes from above her, and she thought she knew what a mouse must feel like right before they’re eaten. She refused to look up, swallowing thickly but unable to move as Cat Noir leaned his head down towards her neck. Her shiver was involuntary the moment his nose barely grazed her neck and she flushed when he sniffed her.

It took all her strength not to faint or scream or laugh when she heard the resounding purr in his chest, a deep rumble, and she bit her lip to keep from throwing him over her shoulder or shoving him away like Ladybug would do when she saw his tail twitching by his leg. She opened her mouth and tried to talk but there was still no air, she couldn’t seem to form words, as her room was completely enveloped by Cat and his presence. 

She blinked when she felt him tilt his head and immediately the rumbling stopped. He tensed, his shoulders tightening, and Marinette felt the suffocating pressure grow thicker, almost colder, as Cat stared at something around her neck. For once, she was completely baffled by her partner’s behavior. He was reckless and always jabbering away with puns, jokes, anything to make light of a situation. But she had only ever seen him serious a couple of times. This time was not when she was Ladybug and she wasn’t sure how to react as Marinette. There was something in his posture, the tightness of his shoulders, the now rigid stance of his tail, and the turned downwards kitty ears atop his messy, golden locks.

Could superhero cats still get rabies? 

Marinette squeaked when Cat rose a clawed hand to grip her shoulder. She could feel the claws through her jacket and she swallowed, the sound causing Cat’s tail to twitch. He wouldn’t hurt her, she knew that, but if he didn’t get away from her and stop causing her strange feelings, she was going to drop-kick him out her window, Ladybug mask or not. Right when she was debating doing just that, her face now flushed red, he slowly moved his head back a fraction. His green eyes bore into her blue, smile completely gone and Marinette’s rebuttal and any words she could formed, died on her tongue. 

It was an odd expression, made even stranger by the fact Cat was wearing it, that made her heart stutter and feel like it was falling through an endless void. He looked pained, his eyebrows furrowed together and a slight frown marring the usual laughing face of her partner. His eyes were a different story. The deep pools and the narrowed slit projected a sense of finality, like he had found something he had been looking his whole life for. There was softness in his eyes that betrayed the rigidness of his body. 

Her world crashed down around her, air suddenly flowed back into the room, and the heat of his body warmed her to her core when he whispered, eyes still firmly locked on hers, “Close your eyes.”

Marinette felt as if she was sliding around on ice, her footing unsure with this Cat Noir as she tried to catch her balance before she fell into whatever he was doing. But she found, that softness in his eyes, pleaded for her to listen. So she did. Marinette trusted him with her life, even with as strange as he was acting. She trusted him as Marinette and Ladybug and she knew he would never harm her or betray her. 

She did not expect the kiss. She heard the slow shuffle of him raising his head from her neck as she closed her eyes. She felt that clawed hand leave her shoulder and, carefully so as not to prick her with his claw, his knuckles push her chin up. Then the gentle press of his lips against hers had her legs going weak. Marinette felt her legs going but was instantly pulled closer to Cat who leaned her against him, his tail wrapped around her legs to keep her from running – but she couldn’t run even if she wanted to. His lips on hers kept her there, in his arms, his clawed hands falling to her hips, the tips of his claws pressing gently into her. 

Her heart was stuttering quickly inside her chest, her body feeling hot despite the cool summer breeze from the loft hatch that Cat had left open when he had landed on her bed. All she could feel was him and forgetting everything – Adrien, Ladybug, akuma – she leaned into him, gently, hesitantly, kissing him back. 

A deeper rumble than the one before vibrated through his chest and into her hands against his chest – when had she done that!? It vibrated through the back of his throat and against her lips, causing them to tingle and she giggled into the kiss at the feeling. She didn’t open her eyes, even she felt his smile as he pulled away, their noses touching, the purr flowing between them. She wanted to open her eyes she had a million questions and so many things flooding her that but she trusted him. Until he told her to open her eyes, she wouldn’t open them. 

His tail was twitching against her legs and she nudged it, causing his purr to rumble up in intensity for a moment. Their noses were still touching and she could feel his breath on her face. She thought she would smell fish or tuna – he was a cat – but instead she found Cat Noir’s breath smelled faintly of peppermint. His clawed hands were still holding her hips so she couldn’t move away and give them space because what had she just done….

But he didn’t give her any time to regret the sparking kiss that still made her knees weak before he rumbled out through his purring, “Can I kiss you again, princess?”

Marinette’s foggy mind was screaming something at that but all she could focus on, her stomach flopping, was that Cat Noir wanted to kiss her again. She didn’t consent bbut he didn’t need it. He knew and she knew that it was going to happen. But this time when his lips met hers, she heard a growl rumble through his throat as he pressed more firmly into her. Marinette’s hands – the traitors! - wound around his neck and when one of her hands accidentally grazed one of his downward ears, she felt his claws press a bit deeper into her. 

Everything was spiralling out of control! She wasn’t supposed to be kissing Cat! …..But she liked it. All the horrible thoughts coursing through her mind about liking Adrien hit her full force but still, she couldn’t stop. Her hands were tangling in his hair and he was now running his tongue thoroughly against her lips. She could make out the feel of tiny fangs when tilted his head to deepen the kiss and Marinette blushed dark red. 

This was really going farther than she wanted so with tremendous effort, she pulled away from his greedy kiss and sighed out a single laugh at the kittenish keen he released at her absence. She kept her eyes closed, determined to not look like he had asked, but she left her hands tangled in his hair and he didn’t release her waist or the tail hooked around her legs. For a minute, there was only their mingling breath and pants in the room. She had the wandering thought of if Tikki was even okay before Cat Noir pulled her back in.

He held her to him this time, her head pressed against his chest, hands falling away to the back of his shoulders. She bit her lip and debated hugging him back, his arms wrapping around her and his head falling to her shoulder. His purr flowed between them, loud and vibrating. But it brought her comfort and made her decision to clutch his back easier. He held her for a moment before his voice broke the silence and she blushed at the effect of their kisses had done to it. 

“Keep your eyes closed.” His usually bright tenor was darker, deeper. 

His voice was a bit rougher due to the purr but the sound of it made her shiver. What….Was wrong with her!? 

All her thoughts ceased when she saw, in the darkness behind her eyelids, a green flash. Her heart stopped. As the transformation slowly receded starting at his feet, Marinette’s mind shut down. His tail disappeared followed by the claws which were replaced with large hands still tightly gripping her. She felt his purr fade to nothing until there was silence as she heard the last of his transformation leave him. It was silent before Marinette felt him move. She couldn’t have stopped him if she tried. 

He moved slightly away from her but kept his hold on her waist. Slowly, he rose his hands from her waist to her jaw where he lifted her face upwards. She felt his breath against her lips and his nose when it nuzzled against hers causing her to suck in a deep breath. 

His next words caused her to tense slightly but his thumbs rubbed soothing circles into her cheeks. “Open your eyes, my lady.”

A single second of clarity crashed down onto her. Princess. My Lady. She wasn’t Ladybug right now. Her eyes snapped open just as her mind made the connection. When her eyes fell on the boy looking deeply into her own, her eyes went wide. 

Adrien grinned, leaning closer until their lips brushed, mumbling, “I love the girl in and out of the mask. For once, I’ve got all the luck.”


End file.
